What do you all think? Should flights from Middle East nations arriving into the US (and departing the US) be subject to tighter immigration scrutiny and security checks against the backdrop of September 11th? Should the FBI, CIA, and other law enforcement bodies pay closer attention to who actually emplanes and deplanes flights operated by Saudi Arabian Airlines, EgyptAir, Pakistan International, Royal Jordanian, etc..?

Should background checks on these carriers be carried out more?

What about US airlines that fly to the Middle East? Now, no US carrier flies to an Arab nation (but Delta does fly to Cairo and Dubai and plans to resume these flights in the Spring) and what about TWA's now dropped flights to Cairo and Saudi Arabia? Where these flights chosen by terrorists and their cells?

I am not suggesting anything. Just asking for opinions and please, let's keep this intelligent.

Right now airlines are supposed to provide INS with a pax list of incoming international pax, on a voluntary basis. The only nations that don't are some of those with serious terrorist links, i.e. Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Of course these flights and these pax require more scrutiny -- in fact, our borders in general need tightening and greater security. It's a joke right now for everyone, yet you can't suggest doing anything without being called racist or anti-immigrant.

Yy717,
Iran Air HAS been banned from the United States for many years now. I don't know about the other airlines. Seems like you have the mindset that middle eastern people deserve to have a difficult time at getting into the U.S. or maybe you just don't like them (btw, i'm not trying to attack you). In any case, you gave no clear reasoning and please enlighten me if i'm way off on my assumptions.

Additionally, would this mean flights connecting from the middle east to the United States via Europe (i.e. Iran-Switzerland-Boston) would also go under strict security procedures? Even if the carrier flying into Boston is, for example, Swiss Air? If not, this theory is basically screwed because referring back to my example above, a flight operated by Swissair can be FULL of Arab or Iranian passengers.

I suppose, for now, it's fair of the U.S. to be cautious - I just hope it doesn't go overboard.

The big difference, I think, with the Swissair flight and, say, an EgyptAir flight is that Swissair voluntarily gives pax lists to the INS before the flight even takes off, giving more time for scrutiny and cross-checking, whereas EgyptAir and other Middle Eastern carriers refuse to participate. And pax who are from -- either by birth, residency, or passport -- countries that sponsor or export terrorism against the U.S. certainly deserve more scrutiny. And everyone who comes into the country should be kept better track of, no matter where they are from or where they are going, so we know if they even left or if they signed up at the school they were allegedly studying at, etc.

Indeed, I think all national airlines of states that sponsor terrorism should be banned from Western skies. This would include MEA, Syrian, Libyan, Iran Air.

That would probably ban American airlines from the skies of the world. Except America doesn't support terrorists. They support "freedom fighters".

Don't forget Aer Lingus. They would be banned also. You know that group called the IRA? They have a terrorist arm which has it's base in Ireland. Except they aren't called a terrorist faction, they are a "para-military" faction.

It is a very fine line which needs to distinguished. A terrorist is against your interests. A freedom fighter is for your interests. Basic (not 100% accurate) description, so I am sure you get the point.

No amount of checking is going to stop people getting into a country if they wanted to. I could enter any country in the world tomorrow under the name "Joe Bloggs", and all I need is some documentation which I can buy on the street for a few hundred dollars.

After the FBI set up the Computer Assisted Passenger Pre-Screening (CAPPS) database in 1996, all US airlines voluntarily plugged their reservations systems into it, as did all European and most, maybe all, Asian carriers for their flights to the USA. CAPPS keeps FBI data on suspected terrorists--people for whom they already have evidence of possible links to terrorist groups.

If someone on the list makes a reservation, they are flagged and can't make a reservation without scrutiny. I'm not sure if they're prevented from flying altogether.

The Middle Eastern airlines that serve the US all balked and refused to have their US flight reservations scrutinized by CAPPS. Their landing rights in the US should all be immediately revoked until they agree to be plugged into CAPPS. All other airlines are scrutinized; there's no reason they deserve an exception.

Please don't forget that many of these terrorists are not entering the US directly from the middle east. Many of these terrorists resided in Europe prior to coming to the US. That means that many, if not most, arrived on BA, LH, SR, IB, AF, etc. not on MS, RG, RJ, PK, etc.

Yyz717 is quite obviously racist, hes the type who must be burning inside seeing the immigrants in his beloved Canada not to mention wanting to get rid of them at first instance, as for the poor native Canadians(eskimos) they dont exist for him, hes more concerned about the democratic values of other countries rather than his own, the question for him is more likely "Should racism be expressed openly?" im sure he'd take the lead in showing his hate for anyone not white, he hasnt missed a single opportumity to express his dislike for the non-whites even contributing to threads realted to their airlines, with stupid comments that need not have been posted there , basically meant to be thinly disguised insults and rebuke, I think he should be banned from this forum, to think all this hate at his age, even the teenage lot here is better than him

The American govt does not support the IRA, although much of their funding has come from individual Americans. I guess it all depends on your definition of terrorism. I don't fault anyone else for their definition....no need to throw insults at me for mine.

As for Airmale, throwing the 'racism' label is a cheap shot. I could say the same back with all your anti-Western nonsense.

By the way, "eskimo" is considered a derogatory term...Canada's northern native people are called "inuit".

So the IRA aren't (wern't) terrorists according to your definition then? What's the difference in killing thousands with 4 planes and killing thousands with bombs? And, during the clinton administration, the IRA did get quite a lot of support from the US government.

To get back to the topic at hand, anyone have any idea why Middle Eastern carriers refuse to participate in CAPPS? I would think we ought to make participation mandatory. I know for a fact that the only airlines that refuse are from that region.

The US Gov't, bless em, are the world's number one sponsor of terrorism. Central America, Middle East, Europe, all over. You're talking about billions in arms, training, uniforms for militias, wages etc. One obvious example of a terrorist organisation founded and paid for and trained by the US is of course the Taliban. I'm sure these actions were done with US interests in mind but if the US is so anti terrorism they should stop funding it.

And if I was a middle east terrorist heading for the US I'd at least fly with a decent airline, so I'd turn up at JFK on Swissair, BA or Lufthansa, all of whom serve Tehran, Beirut, Cairo, Jeddah, Islamabad et al. At least get there on time, decent food, new plane and a leather seat. I hardly think someone's choice of air carrier tells the INS anything about their intentions once they get out of the airport.